Tampons and Your Health

Today’s post is a little off the “regular path”… i.e. these won’t make your eye lashes longer; however, they may help you live longer. Ladies, do not think for a second that this blog is about avoiding tampons – trust me, it isn’t – it is to advise you that not all tampons are created equal.

When I first switched to organic cotton tampons, I did for the fact that it was better for the environment. Cotton agriculture is hugely damaging to our ecosystem – it is considered “the world’s dirtiest crop”, in fact. But, when I did further research, I realized my choice to “go green” was even more important than expected.

What’s Wrong with my Tampax?

Tampons from the big producers (think tampax, o.b., kotex… the list is endless) put their cotton through a chemical bleaching process, which produces a carcinogenic byproduct – dioxin. Not to mention the host of other chemicals used to manufacture these tiny cotton rockets, your body is absorbing fragrance, polypropylene, bleach and synthetics. Want some proof? A professor of microbiology at New York University Medical School, that spent 23 years doing independent research into TSS and its link to tampons found that “As with other organically grown crops, because non-intensive farming methods are used, there are no pesticide residues to contend with. The bottom line is that you can get TSS with synthetic tampons but not with an all-cotton tampon.” Most “Tambrands” (the generic term for Tampax, Playtex etc.) and pads, are made from a blend of bleached cotton and/or synthetic products, such as rayon, viscose and plastic – and that is where you get into trouble with TSS and chemical absorption.

And that, ladies, is why I’m thankful for the host of companies bringing organic to the market. Also check packaging for 100% organic cotton – a great resource has let me in on a dirty little secret: some companies market as organic that are not completely organic. Check out these great brands before your monthly friend rolls around and stock up —

I have to admit I was curious about these, but then worried that they would be too messy if, for example, while traveling and using public restrooms (where you won’t have access to a sink in your stall). How do you get around these issues?